The Uganda Police Force has issued a stern warning to the public against interfering with law enforcement operations following a rise in violent confrontations during arrests.

During a weekly security briefing at Police Headquarters in Naguru on Monday, June 23, 2025, Police spokesperson Rusoke Kituuma said that recent incidents have resulted in injuries to both officers and suspects.

On June 20 in Waita Village, Mayuge District, officers attempting to arrest robbery suspect Kyuha Alex were ambushed by the suspect and his brother, both armed with pangas. An officer was injured, and the suspect’s brother was shot in the knee during the ensuing struggle.

In another incident the same day in Suam Sub-county, Bukwo District, police intervened to rescue a suspect from a mob seeking to administer “disciplinary action,” allegedly encouraged by a local council chairperson.

Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd, resulting in one suspect being shot in the leg and a police officer accidentally injured in the ankle.

Kituuma condemned the increasing trend of public resistance against police officers, stressing that such actions endanger lives and undermine the rule of law.

“These acts of lawlessness are both risky and punishable and shall not be tolerated,” he warned.

He reminded the public that police officers are mandated to protect both suspects and the community, urging people not to take the law into their own hands.

“You must give us space to do our job,” Kituuma stated.

Investigations into the incidents are ongoing, and the police have called on the public to cooperate with law enforcement and reject mob justice.